Diet Cure for Tuberculosis - Home remedies, symptom, cause, treatment of Tuberculosis

What is Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is one of the most dreaded diseases. It is a major health problem in India and often rated the number one killer. It affects eight to nine million people at any one time and over five lakh people die of this disease every year in this country. This disease is also called consumption as it consumes the body and reduces the patient to a skeleton.

Tuberculosis has a very ancient origin. Traces of the existence of this disease have been found in Egyptian mummies as early as 5,000 B.C. It is described as Rajrog or the king of diseases in the Vedas. The noted ancient physicians, Charaka and Sushruta thought that it was difficult to cure. Aristotle expressed pity for the unfortunate " consumptives. "

What are the symptom of Tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is of four types, namely of lungs, intestines, bones and glands. Pulmonary tuberculosis or tuberculosis of the lungs is by far the most common type of tuberculosis. It commences normally with a dry cough. The patient loses strength, colour and weight and is unable to carry on his normal work. Other symptoms are a rise in temperature especially in the evening, hoarseness, difficulty in breathing, pain in the shoulders, indigestion, chest pain, and blood in the sputum.

What are the causes of Tuberculosis?

Lowered resistance or devitalisation of the system is the chief cause of this disease. Most people have the germs present at all times, but they do not have developed the disease unless their bodies are in a weakened condition. This condition is brought about mainly by mineral starvation of the tissues of the body due to an inadequate diet and the chief mineral concerned is calcium. In many ways, therefore, tuberculosis is the disease of calcium-deficiency. There can be no breakdown of the tissue and no tubercular growth when there is an adequate supply of organic calcium in the said tissue. Thus, an adequate supply of organic calcium in the system together with other organic mineral matter is a sure preventive of the development of tuberculosis.

Dietary Treatment of Tuberculosis and home remedies

Tuberculosis is no longer considered incurable if it is tackled in the early stages. An all round scheme of dietetic and vitality-building programme along natural lines is the only method to overcome the disease. As a first step, the patient should be put on an exclusive fresh fruit diet for three or four days. He should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples,grapes, pears, peaches, oranges, pineapples, melons, or any other juicy fruit in season. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or plain water either hot or cold may be taken. If losing much weight on the all-fruit diet, those who are already underweight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.

After the all-fruit diet, the patient should adopt a fruit and milk diet. For this diet, the meals are exactly the same as the all-fruit diet, but with milk added to each fruit meal. The patient may begin with two pints of milk the first day and increase by half a pint daily upto four or five pints. The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed, if desired. It should be sipped very slowly. The fruit and milk diet should be continued for four to six weeks. Thereafter, the following diet may be adopted.

Breakfast : Fresh fruits as obtainable and milk. Prunes or other dried fruit may also be taken , if desired.

Lunch : Steamed vegetables as available, one or two whole wheat chappatis and a glass of butter milk.

Dinner : A bowl of raw salad of suitable vegetables with whole wheat bread and butter. Stewed fruit or cooked apple may be taken for dessert.

At bedtime : A glass of milk.